strawberries-resize-200x300The weather has finally decided to act like summer and the days have turned hot from early morning until late in the evening.  Having such a cool June and early July has been delightful; only a week ago we were working outside with sweatshirts on – very unusual for July in southern Idaho.  This week the temperature has been breaking 100 degrees and the garden has been thriving.  Its growth and production has finally taken off.  It seems that even the chickens like the warmer weather – the last few days our young hens have been laying an egg apiece each day.

Not long ago I was given a ten foot length of culvert pipe.  I didn’t really have an immediate use for it, but it seemed too valuable to pass up, so I packed it home. This week at Nancy’s request for a strawberry patch I cut it up into two foot lengths setting them on end in the corner of the garden.  Using compost from the pile I filled them to the top after drilling holes in their sides and stringing ½ inch drip irrigation tubing from one to the next.  I drove a wooden stake in the middle of each for the purpose of attaching small spray nozzles which worked together off of the main timing system. We don’t expect any strawberry production this year because of our late start, but they are already growing well and filling us with visions of what will one day come.